Ho model



REFERENCE BOOK 'SHELF DESK.

' APPLIGAT-IQN'IILED .mm 17.1903. v

No MODEL.

`pose of the same.

l UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.-

REFERENCE-BOOK SHELF-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,234, dated February l16, 1904:.-

Application filed June 1'?, 1903. Serial No. 161,819. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. LAWSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Menands, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Book-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to book-supports for use with book-shelves of bookcases for temporarily receiving and supporting referencebooks to be consulted; and it consists of the novel combinations of parts and devices hereinafter described, and set forth in the claim.

The object of this invention is to provide a portable book-support for use with bookshelves of bookcases in which a pair of parallel brackets embodying novel features of construction cooperate with a panel, also embodying novel features, for producing a portable book-support which will be adapted to be automatically secured to the narrow front margin of a book-shelf and retain a book placed thereon from sliding oi and be readily detached therefrom for use on any other bookshelf in the bookcase. These improvements are clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, in which- Figure l is a horizontal view of my improved book-support applied to a book-shelf. Fig. 2 lis a sectional elevation of the same, illustrating the novel features of the parts of the book-support for accomplishing the pur- Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the brackets of the same, showing novel features thereof; and Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings is shown a bookcase of a type with which the book-support may be used, and in which A is the back wall of the same, B B are shelves for holding books of law and other publications frequently required to be consulted or referred to, and O O are volumes of such booksin place on said shelves.

D is a suitable panel or board top, of rectangular form, which may be made of any suitable material, and preferably of wood of any suitable kind or quality, and having its upper surfaces Z even and smoothly finished, similar to a table-top. This panel may be made with any dimensions suitable to adapt the book-support for its intended use, whether in private library or in offices of professional men or in public offices, where books of reference are kept on book-shelves of cases provided for holding the same. This panel D has provided in its front edge margin two notches d d at suitable distances apart and made with a depth preferably of one-quarterd' al is a bar D', extended, preferably, fromv end to end of said panel and serving as a stop-piece against which the lower end of a book may have bearing and thereby be prevented from sliding down and off from said panel when this book-support isin place attached to a book-shelf for use.

E E are two brackets which are arranged parallel to eachother, as shown by full and dotted lines in Fig. 1, and are secured to the lower side of panel D by means provided at suitable distances apart for giving said panel a secure support. As these brackets E E are each a duplicate of the other, a description of one will suilice for that of the other. BracketE is preferably made of cast metal and consists in part of body portion e, made in the form of a thin and narrow bar which widens as it is extended rearward for giving strength to said body portion and for strong connection with arms F and F', made integral with the same. Arm F is made integral with the rear end of body portion e of the bracket and is made horizontal in relation to inclined upper edge e5 of the body portion e. This arm F is made with a short length for bearing on the upper side of the front edge margin of a bookshelf B without extending back so as to interfere with the books arranged on said shelf.

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Arm F is arranged below arm F and has a rearward extension from body portion e of greater length, preferably twice the length,

than said upper arm for bearing against the lower side of shelf B, on the upper side of which short arm F has bearing. These two arms F F are each separated by opening E2 of width about equal to the thickness of an 'an angular form, as shown in Fig. 3, and provided with a small opening @s for bearing on the upper side of the front margin of panel D after passing up through notches d cl and hold the latter from rising up from its bearing on the upper edge er of the bracket. Made integral with the body portion e of the bracket at a point about midway. between said finger e3 and the projection e4, provided and extending upward from the plane of edge e, is the flange E', which is extended laterally from one side of the body portion e, with its upper surface on a plane with the upper edge e5 of the bracket, as shown in Figs.A 3 and 4. This iiange -is perforated for receiving a screw for securing said flange and the bracket it is connected with in place-on panel D. These duplicate brackets are secured to panel D in manner shown, in which the brackets are arranged parallel with each other against the lower side of said panel, with the lower portion of fmgers e3 entered into notches cl' d' in the front edge margin of the panel and the rearward extended upper portions of said finger having bearing on the substance of the panel just rearward of said notches cZ,while the rearward projections e* are entered into notches d2 Z2 in the rear edge margin of panel D for their reception,when the brackets will be secured to the lower side of the panel bysuitable screws cl3, passed through the perforation in iiange E' and screwed into the panel from its lower side. When the brackets E E have been secured in place, with said panel itself held in place from shifting laterally by its notches d d holding with ingers e3, with the upper portion of the said fingers bearing on the substance of the panel adjoining the said notches,

a'nd with projections e4 holding with notches d2 d2 in the upper edge margin of the panel, the two screws d3 will bind the two brackets in place, and the book-support thus produced will be strong, light in weight, and adapted to be automatically attached to the front margin of a book-shelf and be securely held with the same by the joint action of arms F and F with the respective sides of shelf B and the weight of the body portions of the brackets Y and the panelD without least liability of interl ference of the arms of the brackets with either the placement of books on the shelf or revmoval of the same therefrom.

To prevent the metal of arms F and F from marring either side of book-shelves this support may be used with, I secure on the outer end portions of said arms pieces d, of rubber, made, preferably, of rubber tubing, which prevent the metal of said arms from biting into the wood of the shelf.

rIhe bar D', secured in place to the upper side of panel D at a short distance from its lower edge and extending from end to end of said inclined panel, operates to hold a book placed on said inclined panel from sliding down and off from the same. v

Having described my invention, what I claim is- In` a book-support, the combination with panel D provided in its forward edge margin with notches d d and in its rear edge margin with notches Z2 d2 in alinement with the forward-edge-margin notches, and bar D secured parallel to the front edge margin of said panel, of brackets E E secured to the lower side of said panel, and each having integral with its body e short upper arm F, for bearing on the front upper margin of a book-shelf, and long arm F for bearing against the lower side of same shelf, and with fingers e3 holding with notches al d and bearing on a portion of material of said panel adjoining said notches and projections e4 e* holding with notches Z2 d2 and having each flange E, perforated and projecting from a side of the body portion of each bracket and secured by a screw to the lower side of said panel.

JosEPH A. LAwsoN.

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